Walk into the Pyeonghwadang Clinic in Seoul’s bustling Yeongdeungpo Market, and you will likely find a desk covered in black plastic bags filled with sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts, and fish-shaped buns. These are daily gifts from the hardworking market vendors and elderly grandmothers who treat the clinic’s young practitioner, Dr. D. il S. (34), like their own grandson.
With his approachable demeanor and attentive care, he is a beloved figure in the community. But Dr. D. il S. will be the first to admit he wasn’t always this warm-hearted. Behind his current success is a profound journey of overcoming arrogance, burnout, and the heavy burden of expectations to become a doctor who truly understands the human heart.
The Heavy Burden of the “Golden Child”
Born in a rural village in Chungcheongbuk-do, Dr. D. il S. was raised by his grandparents while his parents worked the farms. As the eldest grandson, he was treated as precious. Walking alone across two mountains to get to school by age eight, he monopolized the family’s hopes and affections.
“I was so spoiled that I refused to even share a dining table with my younger siblings,” he recalls. “I thought I was so upright and great, and I constantly judged my family. I was completely full of myself, but back then, I didn’t know it.”
Driven by a sense of duty as the eldest son, he attended a traditional Korean medicine college, opened a clinic, and vowed to be a great doctor. But reality quickly fell short of his ideals.
The Limits of Medical Knowledge and the Onset of Burnout
On the outside, he appeared to be a dedicated physician. On the inside, however, he was suffocating. He grew easily annoyed by his patients’ daily complaints of pain, silently judging them with the thought, “That’s exactly why you’re sick.”
His personal life offered no refuge. He was constantly irritated by his parents’ unrefined ways, acting dismissively toward them. Following a painful breakup, the weight of his own mind became unbearable. He tried swimming, mountain climbing, and drinking to find peace, but nothing worked. His physical body was exhausted, and he felt that “the whole world was a giant ball of stress.”
He soon realized that his medical expertise could not cure the emptiness and frustration in his own mind.
A Prescription for the Mind: The Power of Letting Go
At the recommendation of a colleague, Dr. D. il S. turned to meditation. Within just a few days of practicing, a quiet miracle happened: sitting down to a meal prepared by his mother, he blurted out, “Mother, thank you.” It was the first time in his life he had ever said those words to her.
Realizing the profound impact of this practice, he left his clinic with a friend and relocated to a meditation center to fully immerse himself. He began to confront his inner illusions: the spoiled child, the arrogant doctor, the burdened eldest son. As he systematically discarded these false images of himself, he experienced a striking physical revelation.
For years, his shoulders had ached constantly—a physical manifestation of “carrying a heavy burden.” But as he threw away his ego and the immense pressure to be responsible for everyone, the chronic shoulder pain completely vanished. It was a firsthand experience of the mind-body connection.
The True Meaning of Holistic Healing
“In traditional Korean medicine, emotional changes are known as the Seven Emotions, and they directly damage the body,” Dr. D. il S. explains. “You can use acupuncture or cooling herbs to temporarily relieve the physical symptoms of anger or stress, but it is impossible to find a fundamental cure unless you extract the root of the mind.”
Today, his approach to medicine is entirely transformed. He no longer views himself as a savior forcing medical knowledge onto his patients. Instead, he simply focuses on helping them live comfortably. He holds their calloused hands, asks about their family relationships, and simply listens.
Because he has emptied his own mind, he can absorb their stories without feeling drained or stressed. By clearing the emotional blockages in their hearts, he helps facilitate true physical healing.
Dr. D. il S.’s 3 Insights on True Healing
1. The Body and Mind are Inseparable “Physical ailments are often rooted in the mind. When I let go of the mental burden of being the ‘responsible eldest son,’ my chronic shoulder pain disappeared. You cannot fully treat the body without addressing the heavy burdens of the mind.”
2. True Empathy Requires an Empty Mind “Listening doesn’t work when your own mind is narrow or full of ego—in fact, listening just becomes another source of stress. But when you listen without your own preconceptions or judgments, the other person feels incredibly comfortable, and healing begins.”
3. Healing is About Helping, Not Forcing “I used to get stressed because I tried to force my medical knowledge onto patients. Now, I lower my mind. Rather than thinking I am saving lives, I think of it as simply helping them live without discomfort. This shift brought me immense peace, and ironically, made me a much more effective doctor.”
